eMBee ONE Is an '80s-Inspired Pocket Computer

Some time circa the late 1980s, Matthew Begg was given a Casio FX-730P pocket computer (AKA programmable calculator) capable of running BASIC. While an impressive device for the time, now in 2021, everyone has a computer in their pocket, capable of comparatively “infinite” calculation speeds. On the other hand, these new smartphones seem to have lost some of the charm of their 1980s counterparts, so Begg got to work on creating something new as a sort of homage to these earlier gadgets.

What he came up with is the eMBee ONE Pocket Computer – still in a bit of a prototype state – meant to fit into an Altoids tin. The unit runs BASIC on an Arduino Nano clone and features a CardKB QWERTY keyboard for input, as well as a 1.54" OLED SPI display. Power is provided by a pair of AAA batteries, along with an Adafruit PowerBoost 500 for supplying 5V power. A 24LC256 EEPROM unit is implemented for BASIC program storage and an optional piezo buzzer can be used for sound feedback.

So far things look quite promising, as it's able to run a test program that is supposed to run on the FX-730P in seven minutes in just seven seconds. Yes, a sixty-fold increase in processing speed over its inspiration! Of course, one could use something more powerful than a Nano here for even more amazing results. Begg's write-up even mentions the new Raspberry Pi Pico as a possible successor, so it will be interesting to see how this project develops!